“We didn’t have time to be scared.”
A look at life inside PEI’s COVID unit
“For a long time, it felt like all the training we did to get ready for COVID was for nothing,” said Chelsea Chessman, the patient care coordinator of Unit 3 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). “But when the omicron variant started to spread, we could see this was going to become our problem pretty quickly.”
Chessman said there was a lot of anxiety in the early days of the pandemic, especially as international headlines painted scary images of overrun hospitals and overwhelmed medical systems. Unit 3, which typically cares for a mix of acute patients and patients awaiting long-term care, was designated the provincial COVID-19 unit.
“For a long while nothing happened,” said Amy Flood, the Unit 3 charge nurse. She works with staff to create day-to-day assignments and works with physicians and other members of the medical team. In spring of 2020, she took on a temporary position as the nurse educator for the unit. “Everyone was ready. The space was ready. But we ended up going back to business as usual and just kept one bed in reserve for a COVID patient.”
"We learned so much during that time,” said Chessman. “Every week that went by without COVID on the Island was a blessing. We could adapt to what other places had learned, which was a huge benefit for us. I don’t think anyone feels they’re prepared when COVID hits, but when it finally came, we were much more confident in our ability to face it.”
As fall of 2021 progressed, the numbers from the CPHO made it clear: omicron would not pass by PEI without taking its toll.
“We didn’t have time to be scared,” said Flood. “Our initial expectations were for one or two COVID patients on the unit at any given time, but we saw quickly we would blow past that.”
“It was really impressive the way staff banded together to prepare,” said Chessman. “Staff scrambled to convert the unit to prepare for patients. Everyone pitched in—and I mean everyone. We got everything ready in an afternoon.”
The number of COVID patients on the unit would eventually grow until nearly half the unit was COVID positive. Staff had to move non-COVID patients to other units to accommodate them.
“That’s when I really saw the training pay off,” said Flood. “If a patient on another unit tested positive, we sent out staff to help safely move them to Unit 3. And when I saw how confidently they did this job, it was just a great feeling. Our nurses are leaders in supporting other units who may not be as comfortable moving these patients.”
The job has not been easy. Flood and Chessman both said COVID has been a long journey marred by staffing issues and vacancies.
“I think everyone needs a vacation,” said Chessman with a tired laugh. “And they all deserve it. Staff faced it all and still made sure the patient is the number one focus.”
“I’ve worked on Unit 3 for ten years,” said Flood. “One thing I can say for sure: our unit has a strong team. That’s just been highlighted the last few months as staff banded together, supported each other, and provided the absolute best patient care possible.”
Chessman said it’s hard to imagine what life at the QEH will feel like when the pandemic lifts, but she knows how she’ll remember the role Unit 3 played in the fight against COVID-19.
“Everyone came together to do what was required to do this job,” said Chessman. “Everyone just knew what needed to be done. I’m really proud of that. We can take that with us. We were there. We were the ones that got us through this.”